Day 3 of our 3 day "kick off"

So many amazing emails. It is vital that any communication I have with you is private. No emails will never be shared without your permission. That being said, if I shared all of the communication here you would all be so riveted to your computer you would get no work done. The group of people doing this challenge are so impressive on so many levels that I am honored to be a part of it.

We live in a strange place. Sharon told me a story that summed it up quite nicely. She was in the elevator in Fairway (usually a zoo at all hours with very aggressive crowded customers). The store was nearly empty. Another woman got on the elevator and commented how nice it was to have the store so empty. Sharon said (such a classic line)"It's funny, we live in a crowded city full of people and we spend all of our time trying to get away from them". The exact words may have been different but the meaning was the same. A famous quote from Hopper (the artist who did the painting of the diner late at night) is "If you ever want to be completely alone, move to NYC".

Coming from a small town, I can tell you that you can live anywhere and feel this way. In a small town, everyone knows you. You walk out of your house, go to the mall or grocery store and others will hear about it. Good or bad things happen and people actually care (sometimes in a nice way but many times not in a good way). We seem to thrive on gossip and "reality tv". To watch as other's lives fall apart. Somehow this validates us that our lives are "better than that".

In NYC, nobody cares if your wearing your pajamas or if your hair is dirty. They don't know you and will never see you again. Once (very funny story) many years ago when I was teaching so much I couldn't eat enough or stay awake, I fell asleep eating a balance bar. I walked out of my apartment and glanced at myself as I left. The mirror was on the wall so I saw my left side. I sat reading in a coffee shop because at that time, it was my only company and I liked to be around other people in the morning. Everyone kept staring at me. We all know that living in NYC, this is unusual. Tourists may stare but we do not. When I walked back into my apartment, the mirror showed me my right side. I had part of said balance bar stuck in my ear and chocolate smeared over half my face. I laughed so hard. I would never see those people again and they had no idea who I was. In my home town, I would have been horrified. There is good and bad to both. In NYC, we have our privacy. We are not "big frogs in a little pond". The downside is when anyone asks us "how are you?", They really don't care.

The friendships and bonds we are forming here are breaking the "cubicals" we live in that isolate us from ourselves and each other here in NYC (and everywhere) . I can hardly wait to get everyone together !! We have decided (almost everyone) that thurs is better than wed (tonight). Next week we will be organizing a "night out" on wed.

If you have not had a perfect 3 days, please do not let it stop you from moving forward. I believe that getting three days under your belt when you are trying to change behavior really makes a difference. Sometimes it can take a few more days than three to get those days in. I am feeling my sinuses are better and my sleep is better. Later today I will blogging about next steps and some questions I would like you to consider while you decide what the next phase of the 6 week challenge will be or if you want to stay in this phase for a little longer.

Taking the time at night to write in your journals, stretch and meditate (I have also added cleaning up my apartment so I feel organized and wake up to a clean apt instead of watching any tv) at night should be just as important as changing your eating habits. We are trying to do behavior modification and new habits must replace old ones.

On the facebook page, I would love for you all to add some positive things you are going to try to add to your routine instead of snacking. Maybe Erika can chime in here and lead us with some self searching to better clarify our path. She is offering a special price to all of you for personal life coaching and by reading some of your responses, I believe many of you would gain more from a life coach than a trainer. The body is a reflection of the "self" and both need to be trained and worked on.

We would all love to hear how you feel today. What differences do you notice from eating this way? Good or bad. I have heard from many of you but everyone would love to hear all that I have been lucky enough to....